Canada Guide
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland
Distances within Newfoundland are considerable, so it's worth weighing up itineraries carefully. The weather is also notoriously unreliable, so try not to be too ambitious; the last thing you want to be doing is thrashing across the island through dense fog or blinding rain. The obvious place to start a visit is St John's, whose varied attractions could easily fill out two or three days. St John's is also a good base for day-tripping out into the Avalon Peninsula, the most populated part of Newfoundland. Pick of the Avalon day trips are Cape Spear and Bay Bulls, from where there are regular whale-watching boat trips, though the attractive little outport of Brigus runs a close third. Here as elsewhere it is, however, the rocky, craggy coast that makes the most lasting impression: the East Coast Trail, running through St John's, offers endless hiking opportunities. Further afield, but still within a half-day's drive from the capital, is the Bonavista Peninsula, where the prime objective is the picture-postcard prettiness of Trinity, and the stirring fjords of Terra Nova National Park. Thereafter, distances between the island's highlights get much longer. From Clarenville, on the Trans-Canada at the foot of the Bonavista Peninsula, it's 230km south to Fortune and the ferry to the St-Pierre et Miquelon; or 250km to the handsomely craggy coastline surrounding Twillingate; or 500km to the spectacular scenery of Gros Morne National Park; or a whopping 900km to the former Viking colony of L'Anse aux Meadows at the tip of the Northern Peninsula.